Too Dark To Tell
by Casiana Joy
Summary: “She is hiding a secret,” he replied. “One too big for her, I expect, if she had to come to you, but one too dark to voice.” May go up to R in later chapters, I'm not sure yet.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: Been thinking of this for a bit. I know, I need to update Renaissance Man, and I swear it's on my list of things to do, but I had to get this one typed out first! For all of you who are clueless, it's another one of my stories. Anyway, I don't know what to say, so just read on.

Disclaimer: Own the plot. The rest I no own. I only play with.

Hermione Granger was, in her seventh and final year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, wandering the halls past curfew, of her own accord. In other words, Hermione Granger was disregarding the rules without her partners-in-crime Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley at her sides. She was alone, she was nervous, and she was lost.

_I swear I've passed that pillar about five times now_, she thought to herself in frustration. _Honestly, seven years in a castle and I can't even find my way to the Headmaster's office... Aha!_

The familiar stone gargoyle sat at the end of the dark corridor, and as she approached it, the words Harry spoke to her earlier that night came back to her: "Just start naming off candies, you're bound to get it right eventually." She sighed, and started her guessing.

Up in the Headmaster's office, Albus Dumbledore smiled cheerfully, his eye-twinkle ever-present, as he listened to his students' guesswork down at the entrance to his office. His companion frowned.

"I'll go down and send her away, if you'd like," he offered.

"That won't be necessary, Severus," Dumbledore answered. "Let's see what she needs."

"Come on!" she growled, growing furious at the statue for not accepting her possible passwords. "Fizzing Whizbies, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans- don't _make_ me start naming muggle treats!" She was about to kick the gargoyle when it jumped aside and fawkes flew out. Hermione blinked, but recovered quickly, running up the stairs.

Now that the only thing in between her and the Headmaster was a large door, Hermione's nerves went haywire. She took a deep, shaky breath, raised one trembling, sweaty hand, and knocked.

The door opened, and she looked into the face of the Headmaster, still in his day robes. "Miss Granger," he welcomed, showing no surprise whatsoever. "Come in. To what do I owe this after-hours visit?" He asked, a twinkle in his eye. Hermione, shaking slightly, blushed.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir," she whispered. "I just- I had to see you." She sat at his request, and stared at her hands, which she was wringing in her lap.

Dumbledore sat across from her behind his desk, and though he was still smiling, it was lessened. Anyone with eyes could see that Hermione was nervous. He tried breaking the silence.  
  
"Lemon drop?" He offered, nodding to the tin. "Or would you care for some tea?" She shook her head at both of them, still not looking up.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Dumbledore wasn't smiling anymore. "Hermione, what is it that you need to talk to me about?" He asked, causing her to jump.

"Oh," she stuttered. "I... I need to tell you something. I... I..." she swallowed. "I can't do this," she muttered as she stood up and ran out of the room.

Dumbledore, frowning, sighed and sat back into his desk. Looking at one shadowed corner, he asked, "What do you make of that?"

Severus Snape emerged from the shadows, his facial expression dark. "She is hiding a secret," he replied. "One too big for her, I expect, if she had to come to you, but one too dark to voice."

Dumbledore sighed, and closed his eyes. "That's what I thought."

A/N: What do you think? Do you guys hate me? Probably. Anyway, review please!


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: School's out yay! I have time to break through that evil SSTD called Writer's Block (don't ask, it's a thing my friend and I made up)! Anyway, I'm sorry about the wait. I really only wrote the first chapter on a whim, and had no idea if I would finish it at all. Well, I felt like writing more of it… so I did.

Four long tables bathed in sunlight and packed with squealing, chattering, screaming children between the ages of eleven and seventeen was his view at breakfast the next morning. It was odd for Severus Snape to be at breakfast for as long as he had been, as early as he had come, but he had a purpose for staying the entire meal, and he would if he had to.

He was not happy about his task, but he was the only one who could complete it. After what Dumbledore and he had seen last night during their chat, the Headmaster and Snape had a long talk, and came to the one conclusion they could think of; to read her mind. Veritaserum was the first option that came to mind, but there were dangers. Detection spells could harm her, should she ingest it. They could watch her, but if it were serious and if they took too long, the consequences could be dangerous.

He had instructions to wait at the breakfast table from the time it started until she entered. He was to wait until she had eaten a bit, then he was to inconspicuously cast the spell. Dumbledore had asked him to do it at breakfast because he didn't want her to know what they were doing. If it was something beyond serious…

He looked up as the doors opened, and in walked the topic of his thoughts. He watched as his burden sat across from her friends Potter and Weasley and grabbed a piece of toast. She had dark circles under her eyes, and she looked like she hadn't slept at all. Instead of eating her breakfast, she seemed to find amusement in breaking it apart, watching it crumble and fall onto her plate.

After watching her for quite some time, Snape decided that she was not going to eat anything and it would be worth his time to perform the spell now. He slowly slipped his wand into his sleeve, laid his arms out onto the table, took aim, and whispered, "Legilimens!"

Scenes flashed before his eyes: She was running down to the greenhouses with her friends; she was studying in front of a fire; she was reading in bed while petting her cat; she was in the girl's lavatory when she found out she was-

Gasping, Snape removed the spell at the same time she suddenly stood from her seat and ran from the hall. A glance to the side towards Dumbledore showed the elder man looking his way, and, frowning, Snape stood and exited the hall.

"So much for sleeping in," muttered a sleepy Hermione as she pushed open the doors to the Great Hall, stifling a yawn. She made her way towards Harry and Ron, who both greeted her and resumed their quidditch conversation once again. Feeling like she's been in this scenario before, she grabbed a piece of toast, but not having the stomach to eat, began breaking it into bits as she thought.

So going to Dumbledore didn't work. She couldn't bring herself to admit anything. It took all of her courage to simply enter his office- she had none left over to actually tell him of her problem. She couldn't see herself trying again. Maybe she could tell Hagrid… but no, that would just worry the friendly giant. Besides, he might tell Dumbledore FOR her. Well, actually, that didn't seem like such a big problem. She guessed that she could chance a visit to her friend's small hut later in the afternoon. Sighing, she dusted off her hands and stared at her plate. That decided, she grabbed for her bag, preparing to leave.

Suddenly, scenes flashed before her eyes: When she was late for Herbology last Tuesday and was racing to class; when she was studying for her O.W.L.'s in the common room two years ago; one of the many times she was reading in bed with Crookshanks at her side; When she found out she was-

She stood so suddenly everyone around her stared. _Someone had read her mind._ Panicking, she raced out of the hall.

The soft swish of robes was the only sound heard as Snape made his way down the hallway. He needed to find Miss Granger. He had thought she had gone down this hall, but so far he had not come across her.

What was it exactly that he saw? Was it what he thought? No matter how hard he tried to say that it wasn't- that it was just his mind jumping to conclusions- he knew that what he had seen was the truth. That realization compelled him to seek her out more than Dumbledore's command.

As he swept past an abandoned classroom, he heard a soft sniffling. Turning, he stared at the closed door. He crept closer, and, gently, opened the door a crack and peeked through.

_Aha._

Leaning against the wall opposite the door sat Hermione Granger, knees brought up close to her chest, head in her hands. She was crying. Snape sighed; time for the inevitable.

Pushing the door open soundlessly, he walked slowly into the room. To warn her of his presence, he let his footsteps fall heavily.

Hermione's head shot up; her reddened eyes were wide in shock. Her face was blotchy and tearstained, and strands of her frizzy hair stuck to her moist cheeks. When she saw who had entered, her expression grew to that of fear, followed by understanding, followed by anger. "It was YOU!" she shouted, glaring. She stood, fists clenched to her sides. "YOU read my mind! You invaded my privacy!"

Suddenly the fear returned to her eyes. Softly, she whispered, "You… you know. My secret; you know it."

Slowly, he nodded.

This small movement brought forth fresh tears. She collapsed once again and sobbed heavily. Snape sighed and knelt beside her. "Miss Granger," he whispered, "would you be so kind as to follow me to the Headmaster's office?"

His student nodded jerkily and stood with him. He walked out of the door, Hermione in his wake.

Don't hate me too much… ;; I promise, this story will be updated sooner! I already have plans for the next chapter, and since my Internet isn't working right now, you will most likely have two chapters to read! … But if you don't, please don't kill me… if you do, you'll never get to find out what Hermione's secret is!


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